The Wedding Planner
by Nataliepark
Summary: Natalie is willing to kill for this man. One problem: He's getting married! Even worse: SHE'S the Wedding Planner! Can she trust ANYONE to help her stop the wedding and be with the man she loves? Or be shrouded in lonliness the rest of her life? Dan/Nat
1. Prelude

_**Today is the day I finally get around to writing a Dan/Natalie fanfic that I've had in my head for exactly THREE. GRUELING. WEEKS!**_

_**Anyways, this is just the Prelude. And before I forget,**_

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the 39 Clues, Amy, Ian, Natalie, Dan, yada, yada, yada, blah. The only thing I do own is the plot.**_

_**Hope**__** you like kings **__**and**__**Arthur**__**s!**_

_**n**__**a**__**h. just kidding. **__**re**__**ally. **__**a**__**re you guys exi**__**l**__**ed? th**__**i**__**s **__**ve**__**nison is gross, this i know, for my mama told me so**__**!**_

_**Did you see the code? Find it and tell me! (It's not true . . . )**_

* * *

**Prelude**

"Coming!"

Natalie ran for the door and flung it open, hoping it was her new shipment of clothes for the grand opening of her store in Sydney.

Instead, it was Natalie's sister-in-law, Amy Cahill Kabra.

The two had become great friends over the years, partly because of Ian's insistence. But the rest is history.

After Amy and Dan won the 39 Clues, Amy forgave Ian for everything he had done to her, and, despite Ian's parents' and Dan's protests, got married. Ian and Dan got along perfectly after that, realizing that they had a lot in common, except for Dan's intrest in ninjas; he still has a collection of ninja figures. Natalie and Amy became the closest of friends, and shared everything with each other. The only thing that Natalie kept locked in a heart-shaped box in her heart were her true feelings for Dan.

Natalie smiled. "What's up?"

"Guess what, guess what, _guess what!"_ Amy squealed with delight.

"You got Ian to mow the lawn?" Natalie said, peering out across the private cul-de-sac at Ian and Amy's house. Nellie and Saladin were in the house three doors down, Alistair lived in the one beside Natalie's own, and even Hamilton had bought one of the houses in the private gated community in Boston. Dan had moved into an apartment downtown, closer to his work.

"No. But now that you mentioned it, I _should_ pry him from his desk and get him to do it instead of waiting for the gardener," Amy added, after a minute's thought. "Anyways, I got a call from Dan just a few minutes ago."

Pause.

"And?"

"Dan's getting married!" Amy blurted. Natalie felt her heart sink, but she kept her best smile on. Then she heard the phone ring.

"That's great!" she threw over her shoulder, as she ran to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Natalie?" said Dan.

"Dan?"

Laughter. "Are we gonna play twenty questions all day?"

"I don't know. Are we?"

"Depends. Do you have all day?"

"Maybe. Why?"

" 'Cause. We may go over the limit of twenty questions."

"Aha!" she exclaimed. "I win!"

"Darn it."

She smiled. They always played this game when they talked on the phone. "Anyways, what were you calling for?"

"Um . . . well . . . I'm getting married."

"Yeah. I heard."

"Amy?"

"Yep."

"There's something I wanna ask you."

"Hmmm?"

"Will you be our wedding planner?"

* * *

_**Like I said, this is just the prelude. **_

_**I'll have Chapter 1 up as soon as I get it finished.**_

_**Which might me next year.**_

_**Just kidding.**_

_**Or am I . . . **_

_**BTW, I'm my own beta reader. I'm trying to write more fanfics so that I can become a beta reader.**_

_**ARRGH . . . GLURRCH . . . **_

_**Lord, save us! Save us from my brilliant mind!**_

_**Haha.**_

_**~Nataliepark~**_


	2. The Joker & The Thief in the Night

**_Woohoo! Over here!_**

**_Ahem._**

**_If you are trying to reach Amy Cahill, press one._**

**_If you are trying to reach Ian Kabra, press two._**

**_If you are trying to reach Dan Cahill, press three._**

**_If you are trying to reach Natalie Kabra, press four._**

**_For more options, press five._**

**_*Beep*_**

**_I'm just calling so that I can put in the Disclaimer!_**

**_DISCLAIMER: I do NOT-I repeat, __NOT__-own the 39 Clues, Nantucket Island, Saladin, Olive Garden, or Vera Wang._**

**_Not a huge fan of Vera Wang, but she does make some pretty sweet dresses._**

**_Here's . . . Johnny! Wait . . . Hehe, wrong card._**

**_Here's . . . Chapter 1!_**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**The Joker & The Thief in the Night**

As Natalie plopped down in the chair across from Ian at Olive Garden, her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID. It was Dan.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Nat. Which table was it again?"

She sighed. "With that amazing memory of yours, you still can't remember?"

"Not really . . . "

"Fourth from the left, beside the window, in the back."

"Ohh . . . now I remember. See you in a minute."

"What did he say?" Amy asked, as she hung up the phone.

Quickly she told them the conversation, Amy and Ian cracking up when she said he couldn't remember which table it was.

"So," Natalie said, after she took a sip of her water, "who's the lucky bride-to-be?"

"Remember Senator McFadden?" Amy said.

"You mean Steve McFadden?"

"Uh-huh."

"Yes. Why?"

"His daughter, Serenity, is the lucky bride-to-be." Natalie's face flushed. Serenity McFadden was a beautiful blonde that was the daughter of two wealthy parents. Her mother, Lydia, had been a close friend of Isabel's, and Natalie knew her well. Serenity and Natalie had only met once, when they were toddlers.

"Boo!" somebody said in her ear, making her jump and scaring her out of her wits.

"Dan!" she exclaimed. "Don't do that!" She sat back down and tried to get her breathing back to normal.

"Are you okay?" asked a petite blond at her side.

Natalie took another sip of her water. "I think so."

The blonde's eyes lit up with recognition. "You're . . . you're Natalie Kabra!"

Natalie smiled uneasily. "That's me. Unless I've been misinformed."

"I'm Serenity McFadden, and I just love your clothes. And, the engagment ring Dan proposed with came from your jewelery line!"

"He never told me that." Natalie said, sending an accusing glare his way.

Serenity nodded. "He got me your limited edition perfume, _Lily of the Valley,_ many of your clothes, just pampered me with your stuff. And when I found out you were going to be our wedding planner, I absoloutely flipped!" she finished a little too-excitedly. Serenity took a deep breath, and regained her normal posture.

"Well," Dan said, rubbing his hands briskly together, "shall we discuss the plans over lunch?"

"Sure," said Ian, calling the waitress over.

"Hi, my name is Colleen and I'll be your server." said the tall, slim brunette. She took out a pad and pen. "What can I get you to drink?"

"Sweet tea," Dan and Natalie choroused. They looked at each other.

"Alrighty then," she said, writing it down. "You all must have been together for a long time."

"About ten minutes," Dan said, making every one laugh.

"And what will you be having to eat today?" The waitress cocked an eyebrow.

"What are your specials today?" Natalie asked, looking up from her menu.

"Let's see . . . we have the stuffed tortellini with grilled shrimp and scallops, stuffed lobster bake with linguene and three cheese sauce, and grilled chicken salad with your choice of dressing."

Ian, Amy, and Serenity gave their orders to the waiter, leaving Dan and Natalie to give theirs.

"Hmm . . . that grilled chicken salad sounds good. I think I'll have that." Natalie said, handing over her menu.

"Make that two," said Dan.

"Dressing?" Colleen asked.

"Thousand Island," Dan and Natalie said at the same time. They looked at each other. Again.

Natalie braced herself for Colleen to make some further comment, but the waitress apparently remembered belatedly that she might want a tip when the meal was finished. She left without another word.

"She must have remembered her tip," Dan said with a wry grin.

Natalie put her hand to her mouth. "That's what I was thinking."

"Oh, no," Dan looked furitively around the room. He held up his paper-wrapped silverware like a microphone and lowered his voice. "Little did the beautiful woman that had her own clothing line realize on that fateful April day, when she wandered into Olive Garden, that she was entering another dimension . . . one where you couldn't have an original thought. Because Olive Garden was actually a portal to . . . the Twilight Zone."

Everyone burst out laughing. "You just disproved your own theory. I never would have thought of that in a million years." Natalie said.

"Yeah, but it still wasn't an original thought." He hummed a few bars of _The Twilight Zone _and grinned.

"So, Serenity," Amy asked the girl, "how did you and Dan meet?"

"Well, Dan was invited to the State Dinner by Father, and Daddy introduced him to me," Serenity said. The whole time she was talking, she was looking at Dan, which made Natalie sick.

"Let me guess," Ian said, grinning. "Love at first sight. Am I right?"

"You just hit the nail on the head." Dan replied, taking a drink of his tea.

"Ohh-_kay," _Natalie said, pulling out a notepad and pen, "shall we start?"

"Sure."

"Where would you like the wedding to take place?" she asked.

"Well," Dan started slowly, "We were thinking about having it at Grace's place at Nantucket. It certainly is big enough."

"And it is _so _beautiful!" Serenity said, while Natalie made notes. Including the ones in her head.

_Note to self, _she thought, _remember to get earmuffs for the funeral-I mean, _wedding_, so that I don't have to listen to this Wicked Witch of the West._

"Natalie?" Dan said. Everyone was looking at her.

"Oops. Sorry. What were you saying?"

"I was just saying that we were thinking of having the wedding as soon as possible." He smiled at his fiancee. "Just to get it over with."

She smiled back. "I can't bear the thought of being away from him longer than necessary."

_I sure as hell can, _Natalie replied in her head. She cleared her throat. "Have you looked in to any florists, decorators, caterers, et cetera?"

"Actually, we were thinking that maybe you could give us some suggestions." Dan replied. "Have any?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Natalie said, writing furiously on her notepad. "When I had my grand opening for my store here in Boston, I found the nicest lady that owned a flower shop. I used her, and no one else since." She looked up. "She owns _East Coast Florists_, a small chain here in Massachusetts."

"Sounds great," Amy said, grinning. "And, not to mention, our florist when we had our wedding." she said, patting Ian's hand.

"When I had the opening, she even wanted to give me half-price. I wouldn't let her." Natalie said, remembering how she literally had to force the nice lady to take full price. After all, she was a Lucian, right? "She'll even help you if you're on a budget."

"Sounds like a really nice lady," Serenity said._ I can think of someone who isn't,_ Natalie retorted in her mind.

"_Ellis Decorators_ is the decorator we used for our wedding," Ian said, passing over a business card. "They're the best in the business."

"Okay, now on to the caterers." Natalie said, looking at her watch.

"When Father has an important meeting or if he just has a party, he usually uses _Gammill Catering,_" Serenity said, pulling out her phone. "I can get their number, if you'd like."

"Not right now, thank you," Natalie replied. "You can call me when you get home. Besides, with Dan's appetite and food in front of him, he won't be able to think straight." Which elicited laughter all around.

"Sadly," Dan said with a sigh, "it's true."

* * *

"Does this dress make me look fat?"

Amy and Natalie bursted in very loud laughter that made the other women in the wedding dress shop in downtown Boston turn their heads in curiousity.

Amy and Natalie had agreed to take Serenity out to look for a wedding dress while Ian took Dan to a tuxedo shop to find, you guessed it, an Armani suit. To this day, Amy and Natalie _still _try to make him get a different brand of suits. He still won't listen.

Now, Serenity was modeling a Vera Wang wedding dress that, instead of flaring out at the waist, flared out mid-thigh. It had emroidered on the front, a vine-like print with small leaves and roses popping out every other inch. The back was an old-fashioned lace criss-cross pattern that showed her back and ended at the lowest part of the back. It came with a veil that had small diamonds shimmering on the edge, and a small crown holding it in place.

"Hon," said the saleswoman, "I literally hear that said in this shop _millions _of times in a _day._ Only one time out of that million was it _true_."

"Do you think it's too . . . too . . . "

"Perfect? Yes." She plucked a ballpoint pen from her ear and jotted down something on her notepad.

"I don't know . . . "

"Honey, if you don't buy that, I'm gonna cry," the saleswoman said, giving a small pout when she said it.

"Serenity, truly, it looks great on you!" Amy said.

"Look, it was stupid of me to buy a small size in the first place. Besides, not many of my customers can't even _fit_ in a size two," the lady said. "You're the first one to even get it past your hips!"

"I'm going to regret this," Serenity said, walking back to the dressing room to slip on her street clothes.

Five minutes later, Serenity, Amy, and Natalie were goggling over the price.

"_Ten Thousand dollars?_" they choroused.

"Oops! Forgot to put on the discount." the saleswoman said, punching a few buttons. "There. That better?"

They looked at it again. "Five thousand?" Natalie said incredulously. "That's half-price!"

"Sweetie, even at this price, I'll still make a profit. This stuff was marked up a hundred percent anyway. It was incredibly dumb for me to even _think _of getting this size."

They sighed, then jumped as each of their phones vibrated.

Each of them had gotten a text from Ian, exactly the same. They said:

_We're on our way. Unless you want Dan to see that dress, if you picked one, I suggest you get it packed up and in the car. NOW._

_That_ got them moving. Serenity handed over a credit card and, ten minutes later, all were sitting in Natalie's Audi, waiting for Ian and Dan.

"Hey, Natalie," Amy said, leaning forward in her seat, "What's your favorite color?"

"Silver." she repiled. "How about you?"

"Azturpealean." At Natalie's and Serenity's inquisitive looks, she said, "What?"

"What kind of a color is that?" Serenity and Natalie choroused.

"Well, remember when we were in the Bahamas, Natalie?"

"Yes?"

"Well, when we were on our way to one of the islands on that _Jolly Codger Pirate's Cove tour, _I looked out at the water and thought of all the colors shimmering there. Azul, turquoise, peacock, cerulean. There were so many, I decided to make my own color: Azturpealean."

"Ah." Serenity and Natalie said, acting as if they understood, yet rolling their eyes at each other as if they didn't have a clue.

Natalie's phone rang, playing _Take a Bow _by Rihanna. "Hello?"

"Yo, Nat. Where are you?" It was-Natalie did a double-take-_Hamilton? _He had joined the FBI when he turned twenty, climbing the ranks until he was just one rung under Captain. The only time they ever saw each other was when he headed to work in the morning.

"Downtown. Aren't you at work?"

"Yes, and no." That can't be good.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Dan told me that you went with his sister and his fiancee to find a wedding dress, right?"

"Yes."

Hamilton swore. "Hamilton, what's wrong?" Natalie said, keeping her voice as steady as possible.

"Natalie, listen to me very closely. I just got word form one of our undercover agents that there's a plot to kill Serenity McFadden, Dan's fiancee. He didn't say who, just said that a man in a brown suit came to them and offered them a briefcase full of money to kill 'The Senator's daughter,' mind you, I'm quoting what he said to me. All he heard was that they planted a tracking device on the bottom of her car, and then they tracked her to you. He also heard that they were going to be in a white Chevy Malibu. Do you see it?"

Natalie looked in the rear-view mirror, looking until she saw the car, two cars behind her own. "I see it."

"Good. Well, anyways, after they left, he came running to me, saying all that I have just told you. We have snipers on the way, but they may be too late."

"Hamilton, what are you saying?"

"What car are you in?" Hamilton asked.

"My Audi."

"Well, that isn't as fast as your Corvette, but it'll have to do."

Now everything made sense. "You want me to make a break for it, don't you?" She said, a small smile playing upon her lips.

"Exactly."

She put the keys into the ignition, and started it.

"Okay, so I've told Dan what you're gonna be doing, so he won't be meeting you there. Instead, he'll be where I've stationed my snipers to intervene them after you lead them to us."

"And where's that?"

"Longfellow Bridge at Charlesbank Park **(A/N: That's a real place. Look it up!)**.Oh, and Natalie?"

"Yes?"

"Be careful." And then the connection broke.

She turned towards the others. "Put on your seat belts. This is gonna be a wild ride."

"Where are we going?" Serenity asked, snapping her belt on.

"You'll see when we get there." Natalie pulled out onto the road. The Malibu was close behind.

At the end of the street, there was a red light. When it turned green, Natalie slammed her foot on the gas, making the tires spin and the car shoot forward like an arrow from the bow. The people in the Malibu apparently hadn't expected this, for it took them awhile to wake up from their shock and start pursuing.

A few almost accidents, run red lights, and many exchanged curses later, Natalie gripped the steering wheel with white knuckes, for only a few blocks ahead, she had to make a sharp left turn. She pushed the car harder, the engine almost red-lining, when suddenly, she heard a loud _Crack!_ and two identical screams from the others. She looked at the passenger-side mirror. The thing was, there _was _no mirror. They had started shooting at her!

She slammed on the breaks, at the same time turning the wheel to the left, making the car drift onto the left turn. After almost crashing her rear right fender into a pole, she gunned it for the bridge, which was a straight shot away. She heard a squeal of tires behind her as her pursuers made the turn.

Just before she made the bridge, she saw Hamilton sitting in a black SUV, motioning for her to stop just beyond the bridge. She nodded at him, then hit the brakes just as she got to the entrance ramp of the bridge. At the same time, four police cars pulled in front of the bridge, blocking the Malibu from getting to them. Four policemen and four snipers jumped out and brandished their guns on the car. When the people in the Malibu saw this, they made an unsucessful attept to turn around, for more squad cars drove in, each with one officer and one sniper. When they had gotten in position, the Malibu had no chance of escape.

They were surrounded.

* * *

As Natalie got out of the car, her knees were wobbly. The girls all gathered behind the car.

"Natalie! Amy!" Ian yelled, sprinting towards them. Dan was close behind.

Ian threw his arms around Amy and Natalie, while Dan did the same thing to Serenity. "Oh, thank God, you're okay!" Ian said. Amy and Serenity had started sobbing, and now Serenity pulled herself slowly from Dan's grasp.

"It was really Natalie that saved us," Serenity said, walking over and hugging Natalie's neck. "Thank you," she whispered.

"No problem." Natalie returned the hug. "From years of playing _Grand Theft Auto _with Dan, maybe we need to thank him." And everyone laughed.

"C'mon, let's go and see who it was chasing you guys." Dan said, ushering them towards Hamilton.

Hamilton was standing beside his SUV waiting for them.

"Wait here while I get those people out of the car." he commanded, pulling his gun out of its holster and cocking it. He kept it at ready as he yelled directions at the people in the car.

"Come out with your hands up!" he yelled. Three doors opened, and three people stepped out. All were wearing matching suits of white. All had blond hair. And, worst of all, all were Cahills.

"The Starlings!" Hamilton, Natalie, Dan, Ian, and Amy gasped. **(A/N: Serenity doesn't know them, for she is not a Cahill. Just saying. . . .)**

* * *

**_Ah, how I LOVE cliffies!_**

**_Don't you?_**

**_Nah. Of course you don't._**

**_MWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_**

**_The perfect cliffie. EVER._**

**_Did you guys see the premiere of "The Gates"? I did! It was AWESOME! It was all, like, _whooaaa! Stab! AAAAAGHHH! OW! That hurts! _And she was all, like, _I don't care! Yum! BLOOD! _And the police were all, _oh, no! There's a murderer in The Gates! Wah! Must . . . find . . . killer! _And she's all, _don't look at me! I didn't do it! Ask the nieghbor!_ Okay, so she didn't really say that. But she was thinking it!_**

**_Mmmm . . . chocolate! Must . . . eat! _**

**_Buyeeee!_**

**_Oops. Wait!_**

**_First, review. Second, buy me some chocolate and send it to me!_**

**_Review, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, CHOCOLATE, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, chocolate, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, CHOCOLATE, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, chocolate, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, chocolate, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, CHOCOLATE!, REVIEW!_**

**_*hyperventilates*_**

**_Whew! I'm winded!_**

**_*drools* chocolate._**

**_Haha. _**

**_Bump it, lock it, polka dot it, blah, blah, blah._**

**_Did you know Hannah Montana: The Movie was filmed where I was born? _**

**_I was born in Columbia, Tennessee. That's the only reason I watched it. Blah._**

**_Blah._**

**_Blah._**

**_~Nataliepark~_**


	3. You're A Hypnotizer, Baby

_**Grrrr . . . rreat!**_

_**You're here!**_

_**Yeah, yeah. I bet you're screaming your head off at the computer at me for not updating sooner. Two words,**_

_**Writers'. Block.**_

_**Yes, even the infamous Nataliepark has writers' blocks. Just look at Little Lobster.**_

_**SHE HASN'T UPDATED "FALLING FOR YOU" IN MONTHS!**_

_**Ahem. Moving on.**_

_**Are you ready for an all-new chapter?**_

_***insert cricket noises here***_

_**Aww, come on! Let me hear you SCREAM! (I've been listening to Ozzy Osbourne's new album too much.)**_

_***Reader screams his/her head off at me for not updating sooner***_

_**Good enough.**_

_**DISCLAIMER: I have absoloutely no rights to the 39 Clues whatsoever. The only thing I do own are the books that I bought myself. Nor do I own Shinedown. Except the CD I bought myself.**_

_**On with the show?**_

_***Reader screams at me***_

_***I sigh***_

_**Let me make one thing straight: The Starlings have Auburn hair. I found that out AFTER I posted the last chapter.**_

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**You're a Hypnotizer, Baby**

Sinead Starling blew a wisp of auburn hair off her face.

"Oh, don't act so suprised. You've seen enough of us to know that we have been on your tail since those charity cases-" Sinead looked pointedly at Dan and Amy "-won that stupid Clue hunt."

Ian put his arm around Amy's waist. "Don't talk about my wife and brother-in-law like that." he growled at Sinead.

Sinead's face went ashen. "W-wife a-and b-b-brother-in-law?" she stuttered nervously.

"You mean you weren't around when we were married? I thought you said you'd been tailing them since they won _and you didn't_."

"We have been," spoke up Sinead's brother, Ned. "Ted and I saw you get married, and . . . "

" . . . Since we didn't want to upset her, we kept it between us." Finished Ted.

Right then, Sinead was having a complete meltdown. She walked over to Ian, while everyone, including Hamilton, watched her.

"Didn't what happened between us mean anything to you?" she asked, taking Ian's hand.

Ian snorted. "What happened between us was a _mistake_," he snapped, pulling his hand back. Sinead took a step back. "That was never true love between us. The only true love I had and didn't realize was my love for Amy." He let go of Amy and stepped towards Sinead, anger in his amber eyes. "I thank God every day that she took me back. Sure, Dan and I fought after that, but I have grown to know him and love him like the brother I never had. If I had chosen you, your brothers might not be alive."

Sinead cried out and threw herself at Ian's feet. "Please, Ian, please! Please forgive me, and take me back!"

"_Forgive you?" _he roared. "_Take you back? _No!" He looked at Sinead. "I have a commitment to my wife now, Sinead. And after you tried to kill my brother-in-law's fiancee, and probably Amy and Natalie, how can I ever _forgive you?"_

"Ian!" Natalie yelled. She had been curiously watching the Starlings, and now noted something . . .

She walked over to Sinead and Ian and kneeled down beside Sinead.

"Sinead, look at me. Look at me, Sinead. Sinead . . . shh." Now Natalie was holding Sinead's shaking shoulders in her arms.

"Natalie, what the hell-" Natalie gave Ian a glare so intense Ian snapped his mouth shut. (She was an expert at intense glares, after all.) She turned back to Sinead.

"Sinead, I need you to look me in the eye. Can you do that?" Sinead nodded, and turned towards Natalie.

"Does anyone have a pen light?" Natalie yelled. Dan handed one to her.

"Thanks," she said. She shined the light on Sinead's eyes. The pupils wouldn't retract.

Natalie helped Sinead up, took her to her brothers, then waved Hamilton and the rest over.

"What was that about?" Hamilton asked.

Natalie explained. "Her pupils are dilated almost a hundered-percent. I haven't checked her brothers, but I'm pretty sure theirs are, too."

"Okay, but what does that mean?" Dan asked, clearly confused.

"She's hypnotized." Natalie said, plaintively.

* * *

"Hypnotized?" the others choroused.

"Hypnotized." Natalie repeated.

"Hyp-" they started.

"Don't even think about it," Natalie interrupted, crossing her arms.

"But-how?" Hamilton asked.

"Well, to be hypnotized, you need either a psychologist that has studied and used hypnotizing successfully, or a really odd psycho that has been experimenting with human guinea pigs." Natalie said. "I'm betting on the psychologist."

"Okay, that is extremely creepy in the nth degree," Dan said.

"Tell me about it," Amy replied.

"This psychologist must've been hired by the people my guy is undercover with," Hamilton said. "Odds are, I can get my guy to figure out who the guy is."

"Why don't you do that," Natalie said, waving a finger sarcastically and rolling her eyes. Had he forgotten she was a Lucian?

Natalie walked to her car and grabbed her phone.

"_Please type in your password." _the female voice on the phone said. Natalie typed it in.

"Lucian Headquarters." Jenna, Ian's secratary said.

"Hey Jenna." Natalie responded. She could hear Jenna's back straighten when she recognized Natalie's voice.

"Miss Kabra, what can I do for you?" Jenna asked.

"I need you to do a search on an organization for me."

"Name of the organization, please?"

Natalie waved Hamilton over and asked him."Black Veil Society." he said. Natalie replied it into the phone.

"I'll send the results to your phone, Miss Kabra. Is that all?" she asked.

"No, I'll call you later if I need anything."

"Why did you need me to tell you the name of the organization?" Hamilton asked as she put away her phone.

"Hamilton, have you forgotten that I'm a Lucian already?" she said, turning to him and looking at him.

Hamiton paled. "Did you _have _to remind me?" he whispered.

Natalie's expression softened. Hamilton's ex-fiancee, Carmen, was a close friend of Natalie's, and who happened to be a Lucian.

* * *

One day, about a year ago, Natalie, Carmen, and a few other Lucian agents were sent to stop an illegal underground fighting ring from getting a shipment of illegal drugs, the main one being steroids (since Ian took charge, the Lucians have done good things). During the raid, a huge man ran for Carmen and grabbed her around the throat, suffocating her. He was actually going for Natalie, but since they looked exactly alike, he mistook Carmen for her. Natalie ran to help her, but was cut off by another huge man and couldn't get to her in time.

After taking care of the man, Natalie ran for the other, but it was too late. Carmen lay on the floor, her limbs strewn akwardly around her. Natalie checked her pulse, but it was too late. Carmen was gone, and Natalie had to tell Hamilton.

That night, when Natalie went to Hamilton's, he did something in front of her that she hadn't seen him do since he thought Amy was dead in Tokyo.

He had cried.

Natalie comforted him, let him cry on her shoulder. But just before she left, he grabbed her around the waist and kissed her.

That night, she had slept with him. Something that she had never regretted, but knew it shouldn't have happened.

* * *

Natalie grabbed Hamilton and hugged him, which was hard to do, since Hamilton was so huge.

"It'll be okay," she assured him. "I'm sure she's in a better place."

All of a sudden, Natalie's, Ian's, Hamilton's, Dan's, and Amy's phones went off at the same time, playing the same ringtone.

To all of them, that meant trouble.

All of them had set that ringtone for when their branches were in trouble, for all of them were now the leaders of each of their branches.

They all answered at the same time. "Talk to me," they all answered.

All at once, the voices came from the phones in a wave, and even though they were all standing a few feet away from each other, they could each hear what was going on on each other's cell.

"Miss Kabra . . . total chaos . . . need to come . . . to London . . . soon . . . as possible . . . " was all Natalie could understand.

Everyone else's phones were going off like dinner bells, and then, all of a sudden, everyone's phones said the same thing in a chorus: "_VESPERS!"_

"Oh, boy," Ian said. They had run into the Vespers many times before this, and knew what they were capable of. They needed to get to each of their headquarters. _PRONTO_.

"Umm, I know this may sound paranoid, but what if those damned Vespers are behind . . . you know . . . _this?"_ Dan asked, jerking his thumb at the Starlings.

"Don't underestimate them. You know how they are." Amy said.

"Yeah, they nearly killed all Cahills." Hamilton added, with a stern nod.

"But what about that rebel Vesper who helped us stop them?" Natalie asked.

"I thought she was killed in that bombing at Karachi?" Ian said, turning to look at his sister. So, he hadn't heard the news.

"Dan and Amy recieved a phone message from her about a month ago, and because they were suspicious that it wasn't her, they asked her-the person who left the message-to do a live webcam chat to see if it really was her."

"And?"

"It was."

"She had to have surgery to replace her left arm and her right leg," Dan spoke up. "She went to one of the Madrigal bases in Baghdad where they were working on experimental bionic arms and legs."

"She volunteered to be a guinea pig to see if the arms and legs worked," Amy said. "She now has bionic abilities and is able to lift things many times her weight, plus she can run faster than a normal human being."

"But, there was one thing that she had to be classified when she got those bionic limbs." Natalie said.

"And what was that?" Ian asked.

"She had to be classified as a cyborg."

"_What?" _Ian exclaimed, utterly speechless just then. "I thought they were just something out of the _Terminator _movies!"

"Apparently not," Amy said. "According to a doctrine that was not knowingly signed into law at the United Nations, a person that is three-fifths of a human being is considered a cyborg." Amy gave a small smirk. "That was kinda put through by us. You know how much sway we have in the many governments."

"But how can Shay be three-fifths a human being if only her limbs were replaced?" Ian asked.

"Her limbs weren't the only things replaced," Natalie said. "Her heart was failing, and if she didn't get a new one soon, she was going to die. Her kidneys were also failing, so they also replaced those with bionic organs. She can slow her heartbeat down to less than twenty beats a minute and can still live. She also has a biofe eye."

"What's that?" Ian asked. Now he was utterly confused.

"It's almost like a pair of night vision goggles; you can see clearly the many things around you in the dark, but in the daylight, you're totally blind."

"She was almost the same way," Dan said. "In her left eye, some things she could see things clearly, others, not so much. So, with her biofe eye, it only kicks in when she needs it."

"Is there anything else you need to tell me about Shay?" Ian demanded, crossing his arms and tapping his foot angrily.

"Actually, there is," Amy said, walking to her husband. "She said that she was coming here, and when she saw you, she was going to drop-kick you into next week. Never fear," she said, taking his shocked, frozen face into her hands, "I'm sure she'll go easy on you." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Alrighty then," Hamilton said, "if we're done with torturing poor Ian, can we get back to the problem at hand?"

* * *

All of them walked back to the Starlings, who were looking about them, wondering where they were, and why there were snipers with guns pointed at them.

Hamilton grabbed a fistful of Ned's glimmering white suit, pulled him up, and held him nearly half a foot off the ground.

"What are you doing to him?" Sinead asked angrily, grabbing Hamilton's arm and trying to pull Ned's suit out of Hamilton's hand. Ian grabbed her around the waist and pulled her, screaming, from Hamilton.

"Why were you guys chasing Amy, Natalie, and Serenity?" Hamilton growled in Ned's face.

"Wh-wh-what a-are y-you tal-talking ab-bout?" Ned choked out, grabbing Ham's wrist and trying to break free.

Ted spoke up. "We don't even know where the hell we are, you unphased jerk!" Ted yelled. "And let go of my brother!"

Hamilton lowered Ned, but still kept his hand closed around his suit. "Tell me what you know," Ham said, pulling out his gun with his free hand and putting the barrel against Ned's temple,"or I pull the trigger and it's lights out for Neanderthal here."

"We were abducted!" Sinead, Ted, and Ned screamed at the same time.

"Stop lying or I really will shoot!" Hamilton said in a gruff voice.

"We're telling the truth!" Sinead yelled, struggling to break free from Ian's strong grasp.

"Hammy, put the gun down for a minute." Natalie said in the sweetest voice possible. The Starlings' expressions were priceless just then, when they heard Natalie talk to Hamilton with the voice of a lover. Hamilton wore an expression of pure shock when she did that. Ditto for the rest of the Cahills, too.

She walked over to her brother and the struggling Sinead, who was actually trying to bite him. She put her fingers on a pressure point inbetween Sinead's shoulder blades and whacked it with her palm. Sinead fell limp in Ian's arms.

She was out cold.

"Natalie?" Dan said behind her. He walked into the space behind her. "What are you doing?"

Ian had laid out Sinead on the pavement, and now him and his sister kneeled beside her. Natalie opened Sinead's eye with her thumb.

At last, Natalie got up and let Ted look over his sister. She gathered all the Cahills about, Hamilton having abandoned Ned and letting him go to Ted.

"What the hell was _that _about?" Amy asked, bewildered.

"Sinead's not hypnotized anymore." Natalie replied.

"How the hell is that possible?" Dan asked. "I thought you needed the same person who had hypnotized you to undo the hypnotizing?"

"Umm, noo," Natalie said. "It kinda has a timer on it. The person that did the hypnotizing can choose how long the hypnosis lasts, and-"

"Daaaaan!" Serenity called from Hamilton's SUV. She walked over to them. "Can I please go home now?"

"Sure, babe," Dan said, putting his arms around her waist. "I'll see you guys later?"

"See ya," everyone replied.

"Oh, crap, Ian, we'd better get home!" Amy said, checking her watch. " I'd promised Nellie that we'd be there at six!"

"Okay." Ian hugged his sister. "See you later?"

"Alligator." Natalie replied.

"I am not!" he playfully protested.

"Hamilton, do you need anymore help? I've gotta get moving, come to think of it." Natalie asked.

"Naw, you can go. I think I can handle this." he replied.

"'Kay. I'll be seeing you."

* * *

**Later that Night . . .**

Serenity cocked her gun and put it back in its holster.

_She got _way _too close to our secret, _she thought as she walked past a nightclub in the back alleyway. _This isn't good._

All of a sudden, there was a knife to her throat and a hand over her mouth. Instinctively, she started pulling on the sleeved arm.

"I'll cut your throat open before you can even say 'help', do you understand me?" said a firm masculine voice. She nodded her head. "I'm going to let go of you. Scream, and I'll make sure that you never see light again. Nod if you understand me." She nodded. He let go of her.

"Now, what are you doing here and why?" he asked.

"Are you Mr. Black?" Serenity asked.

"Who's asking?" he answered.

"A client." she replied.

He raised his head slightly. "What do you need done?"

Serenity pulled out a picture of Natalie from a few weeks back that she had gotten from Dan. "I need you to kill this woman."

* * *

_**Ooooh. Really cliffy.**_

_**Well, what do you think?**_

_**I think it's really sappy since I spent **_**six months**_** on it!**_

_**I probably should apologize for not updating. **_

_**I've just been really busy, since my grandda and granma died. :( But I'll be okay.**_

_**Anyways, I hope you don't . . . in a matter of speaking . . . kill me because I haven't updated. I truly am sorry for that.**_

_**Ether Bunny.**_

_**. . . Random.**_

_**Like me!**_

_**Oh, by the way, can you, like, forgive me for not updating? I seriously am sorry. And I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. **_

_**This was written in a bit of a rush. I really am sorry.**_

_**PROMISE.**_

_**Love you all,**_

_**~Nataliepark~**_


	4. Update (Not Actual Chapter)

Okay...This isn't part of the story. Just a quick update.

I will try to get the next part of this story up as soon as I get done with it. I'm already almost there, so don't panic. Or faint. Or anything that could cause you bodily harm. Then you couldn't be able to read it. :)

School's been hectic, I've been getting migranes (have no idea why), and we've been busy around the house. Also, I got a horse that I have to take care of now.

I know it's been almost a year since I've posted anything, and thanks to all the people who have been awesomely patient with me. You're the best.

Also, I'm deleting this little update once the other chapter is posted. Again, so sorry I haven't updated sooner. The doctor's saying I've gotta lay off the electronics. Could be what's triggering the migranes. And they're not fun.

If, and when, I get the next chapter up, I give you permission to rip my head off for anything that happens. I have also been working on two books and have been helping my friend with hers. So, you know, priorities.

Thank you guys so much for all the support, the suggestions, and the simple fact you take the time to read my stories. I'll love you forever.

~Nataliepark~


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